Apple tree named `Ambrosia`

ABSTRACT

The present invention relates to an apple tree and more particularly to a new and distinct variety named `Ambrosia`, broadly characterized by its aroma, taste, color, shape, precocity and productivity. The variety has a distinct fruity aroma. The taste is very sweet and subacid. The flesh is firm and crisp in texture. The skin color has a high gloss, 70% to 90% bright red blush with broad faint stripes on a cream to yellow background. The fruit is conical and angular in shape with slight calyx lobing and a wide eye basin. 
     `Ambrosia` is a mid to late season apple maturing about the 16th to 21st of September at Cawston, British Columbia, Canada. `Ambrosia` was discovered as a naturally occurring chance seedling in the cultivated orchard of Wilfrid and Sally Mennell at Cawston, British Columbia Canada.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

This invention relates to apple trees and particularly to a chanceseedling of unknown parentage discovered and evaluated by WilfridMennell in the cultivated commercial orchard of Sally Mennell atCawston, British Columbia, Canada.

We the inventors have been commercial producers, packers and shippers ofvarious tree fruit varieties for many years and are constantly on thelookout for new varieties which may have commercial potential.

The variety presently to be described is such an apple and is of redblush with red stripes over cream to yellow background and sweet subacidtaste differing from all known varieties.

This variety of unknown parentage, which may be the result of theparents, `Starking Delicious`(unpatented) and `Golden Delicious`(unpatented), closest resembles the commercial variety`Jonagold`(unpatented).

Distinguishing Characteristics

`Ambrosia` differs from other dessert quality apple cultivars in thefollowing distinctive combination of traits.

Under growing conditions at Cawston, British Columbia, Canada `Ambrosia`has a distinct fruity aroma. The taste is sweet and subacid. The skinhas a high gloss and 70% to 90% bright red blush with broad faintstripes on a cream to yellow background. The fruit shape is conical andangular, with slight calyx lobing and a wide eye basin. `Ambrosia` is amid to late season apple maturing approximately the 16th to 21 st ofSeptember at Cawston, B. C.

The tree is very precocious and bears moderate to heavy crop loadsannually. Cropping begins in the 2nd or 3rd year. The tree shows moreresistance to mildew than the reference varieties (commercialvarieties).

Possible Parent Plants

`Starking Delicious` and `Golden Delicious`.

The seedling tree was found in a cultivated plum orchard previouslyplanted to `Golden Delicious` and `Starking Delicious`.

`Golden Delicious` was developed from a chance seedling discovered inClay Creek, W. Va. by Andrew H. Mullins in 1914.

`Starking Delicious` was developed from a bud sport of a `Delicious`tree discovered in Monroeville, New Jersey by Lewis Mood in 1921.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The accompanying photographs show the mature fruit of `Ambrosia`. Thephotographs show a typical limb, leaves and fruit.

The photograph on sheet 1 shows the typical mature fruit positioned todisplay stem end, calyx end and side view. The photograph also displaysa cross sectional view to reveal the internal arrangement of the core,seeds and locules, and a longitudinal section to show the eye basin,stem bowl, core, and the color of the flesh and seeds.

The photographs on sheet 2 each illustrate the mature fruit prior toharvest; the lower photograph also illustrates the tree habit.

SUMMARY OF THE NEW VARIETY

`Ambrosia` was discovered and evaluated by Wilfrid Mennell as anaturally occurring chance seedling on the property of Sally Mennell atCawston, British Columbia, Canada. `Ambrosia` was asexually reproducedby budding in 1990 by Wilfrid Mennell. Evaluation upon fruiting showedthe variety to be stable and no variations occurred. The resulting treesexhibited the same unique qualities as the original tree.

`Ambrosia` has medium to large fruit with skin color of red blush withfaint, broad red stripes over a cream to yellow background. Fruit of`Ambrosia` matures about the third week in September at Cawston, BritishColumbia, Canada.

`Golden Delicious` is a medium to large, yellow/green skinned varietymaturing before `Starking Delicious` and `Ambrosia`.

`Starking Delicious` is a large to very large variety with skin of redstriped overcolor on a green/yellow background. `Starking Delicious`matures slightly before `Ambrosia`.

Trials and Evaluations

The variety `Ambrosia` was established from the novel seedling byasexual propagation (budding) in 1990 at the Mennell Orchards in CawstonBritish Columbia Canada by Wilfrid Mennell. The trees were planted inclose proximity to the most similar variety, `Jonagold`, an establishedcommercial variety. Evaluation began upon fruiting. Further familytrials of the variety were planted in 1994, and controlled grower testsites were established in British Columbia and at the okanagan PlantImprovement Co. Ltd. test orchard at Oliver, British Columbia. It wasfound, through test plots, field evaluation, and sensory evaluationpanels that the new variety exhibited the following unique combinationof qualities:

Under growing conditions in Cawston B.C. `Ambrosia` is a mid to lateseason apple maturing at approximately the same time as `Jonagold` aboutthe 16th to 21st of September, at Cawston, British Columbia, Canada. Thefruit is sweet, subacid, crisp, very juicy and aromatic. The skin has a70% to 90% red blush with broad, faint red striped overcolor on a creamto yellow background, whereas `Jonagold` has a green to yellowbackground color with a 30% to 50% red blush and stripe overcolor atCawston, B.C. The fruit of `Ambrosia` is medium to large averaging 7.4cm in diameter and averaging 210 to 220 grams in weight. The fruit of`Jonagol` is large averaging 8.8 cm. in diameter and 245 to 255 grams inweight. The fruit of `Ambrosia` is conical and angular in shape withmedium calyx lobing whereas `Jonagold` is of a more globose shape andhas very slight calyx lobing. The eye a basin is deeper and wider in`Ambrosia` than `Jonagold`. The tree of `Ambrosia` is vigorous with anupright spreading growth habit and is not a tip bearer. The tree isproductive and precocious with spur type branches, producing good cropsin the third year after planting. The tree produces good crops annually.`Jonagold` trees are more spreading than `Ambrosia` and more susceptibleto mildew than is `Ambrosia`. `Ambrosia` does not show any unusualsusceptibility to any diseases including fireblight and apple scab andobservations to date indicate there may be some resistance to applescab. The leaves of `Ambrosia` have shallow crenate margins whereas`Jonagold` has deeply serrated leaf margins. The skin of the fruit issmooth and very glossy. `Ambrosia` flowers mid-season and producesmedium pink and white flowers with broad elliptic petals. The petals ofthe flowers are touching.

Botanical description of the plant:

`Ambrosia`.--Genus: Malus. Species: ×domestica. Market class: Dessert.Parentage: Unknown. A naturally occurring chance seedling that was foundin a cultivated orchard of Sally and Wilfrid Mennell possibly arisingfrom a cross of `Starking Delicious` and `Golden Delicious`.

`Starking Delicious`.--Genus: Malus. Species: ×domestica. Market class:Dessert. Parentage: `Starking Delicious` was developed from a bud sportof a `Delicious` tree discovered in Monroeville, N.J. by Lewis Mood in1921.

`Golden Delicious`.--Genus: Malus. Species: ×domestica. Market class:Dessert. Parentage: `Golden Delicious` was developed from a chanceseedling discovered in Clay Creek, W. Va. by Andrew H. Mullins in 1914.

The following is a detailed description of the new variety, with colorterminology in accordance with The Royal Horticultural Society (R.H.S.)Colour Chart, except where general color terms of ordinary dictionarysignificance are suitable.

Pomological characteristics: `Ambrosia`.

Fruit end use: Dessert.

Growth characteristics:

Tree (Trees observed were of the same age on M9 rootstock).--Vigor:Intermediate. Habit: Upright. Branch frequency: Medium. Branch strength:Intermediate. Angle of bearing branches: <90 Degrees. Predominance ofbearing: Spurs.

Shoot Characteristics (Observations done on one-year old dormant shootsin 1996).--Pubescence (on upper half): Weak. Shine of bark: Medium. Meandiameter (center of middle internode): 5.5 mm. Mean internode length:24.0mm. Flexibility: Medium flexibility. Number of lenticels (middlethird of shoot): Medium to many. Size of lenticels: Large. Predominantcolor(on sunny side): Reddish-brown. Position of bud on shoot:Appressed. Shape of bud: Pointed.

Flower characteristics (Measurements are means of 10 flowers).--Type:Single. Size (pressed flat): 5.7cm. Color of bud (balloon stage):60C/155D (R.H.S.). Bud burst: Early, with `Mcintosh`. Petal shape: Broadelliptic. Petal margins: Touching.

Leaf characteristics (Measurements are means of 10 fully expanded leaves4th to 6th from the top of the shoot).--Shape at cross section: Concave.Pubescence of upper side: Weak. Color upper side: 137A (R.H.S.). Veins:Some anthocyanin evident. Orientation: Up and out. Leaf length--Mean: 86mm. -- Range: 78-95 mm. Leaf width--Mean: 54 mm. --Range: 44-60 mm .Blade ratio (length/width): 1.62. Petiole length--Mean: 29 mm. -- Range:26-32 mm. Leaf length/petiole (ratio): 2.9. Glossiness of upper side:Medium. Pubescence on lower side: Pubescent. Stipule size--Mean: 10 mm.-- Range: 12-20 mm.

Fruit Characteristics (measurements are the means of 10 maturefruits).--Size (diameter): 7.5 cm. Average fruit weight: 210-220 g.Shape: Globose conical . Symmetry (side view): Symmetrical . Ribbing:Present. Prominence of ribbing: Weak to medium. Distal end crowning:Present. Prominence of crowning: Medium. Aperture of eye: Open. Depth ofeye basin: 11 mm. Width of eye basin: 31 mm. Sepal spacing: Free.Thickness of stalk: 2.3 mm. Stalk cavity width: 30 mm. Stalk length: 21mm. Surface: Smooth. Bloom of skin: Absent. Waxiness of skin: Slight .Translucency of skin: Absent. Groundcolour: Cream to soft yellow. Amountof overcolor of skin: 70-90 %. Over color of skin (R.H.S.): Red (46A).Type of over color: Streaked and solid. Amount of russet: None. Positionof russet: None. Size of lenticels on fruit: Small. Prominence oflenticels: Very slight. Color of flesh: Cream. Distinctness of core line(cross section): Weak. Aperture of locules: 1/2 open. Setting (yieldefficiency): High. Maturity date: 3rd week of September at Cawston, B.C.Seed color at maturity: Brown. Juiciness: Medium to juicy. Fleshfirmness without skin(Penetrometer): 15 lbs. Browning of flesh(1 hr.after cutting): Weak.

Storage of fruit (Storage trials done by Okanacan FederatedShippers).--Air: 4 months. Controlled Atmosphere: 6 months.

We claim:
 1. A new and distinct variety of apple tree, originating as achance seedling, substantially illustrated and described, which is mostsimilar to `Jonagold` and characterized as to novelty by the bright redblush with faint red striped overcolor on a cream to yellow background,the conical and angular shape, wide eye basin, and the uniquecombination of taste, texture and juiciness which are different fromother dessert quality apples.